Wallpapering... the fun way!

Well, you know I love wallpaper and you know I love to gawp over the lovely products over on the Hermes website.  So I couldn't have been more thrilled to find this silly little game to play when I really should be doing other things. 

Check out the wallpaper range and have a go for yourself  - there is always lots of really interesting stuff to see on the website.  At the moment I'm really loving the film series, Hearts and Crafts, just lovely! 

Sale now on!

Visit my Etsy shop right away for amazing bargains in the Clearance Section - starting from just 20c!  I'm having a big clearout to make way for new stock and new products.  If you're the kind of person who likes to stock up on Christmassy things in the sales, you have come to the right place!

As well as Christmas themed bits and pieces, my most popular item is also in the sale.  My destash paper packs are available for a limited time at $2.50. 

Everything in the clearance section will NOT be renewed and only a handful of the Christmas tags might make a comeback next year so don't be disappointed if there's something you've had your eye on.

I am down to limited stock on chickens, lavender cats and paper string.  I don't have any of the same fabric left for the lavender cats and I probably won't be making too many more chickens for a while.  I only have one reel of white string left and a couple in black.

I'm still going to be popping in and out of the post office over the festive period, so as soon as you treat yourself, they'll be ready to post.  Happy shopping!

Christmas is coming early!

Well, it looks as though Christmas is coming early for me this year!  I think at least a few of you will know that I am a huge fan of Huey Morgan, having spent most of my maternity leave dancing around the kitchen to the songs he played on his show on 6music while covering for Lauren Laverne last year.  The fact that he is an ex-Marine from the Lower East Side does not hurt, but the reason I absolutely love to listen to Huey is that he knows so much about early hip hop and basically the late 70s/early 80s New York scene.  One of my very favourite films is The Last Days of Disco, and that era is Huey's era too.  He tells stories about bands, and places and music in a way that is passionate without getting to the point of ranting.  That, my friends, is a rare skill in the world of the modern music enthusiast.

Flyer for our evening shindig, designed by Leslie Hamer of unlesssomeonelikeyou.com

Lauren has a regular feature on her programme called 'Memory Tapes', which I absolutely love.  She asks listeners to email in with the track listings from CDs or tapes or playlists from times gone by and then gives them a call to chat over how said collection came about and so on.

When I was starting my holidays last weekend (before I got my awful cold), I decided for fun to send in the playlist I made for our wedding reception, back in 2009.  During last Friday's show they announced that they were looking for Christmassy compilations, so I duly wrote on the bottom of my email that the collection of songs was not at all Christmassy but then I told a fairly dull anecdote about a night out one December and a one-man karaoke performance of the Band Aid single, which I hoped would make up for the lack of festivity to the list.

Well, I guess it did.  Because they are going to play five of my songs tomorrow morning and Huey will be having a little chat to me at about my playlist at 10.40am.  Tune in online or on your digital radio or your telly if you can.  Who wouldn't want to take over their favourite radio station with their own choice of music, and chat to their favourite DJ about the best day of their lives?  Thanks for the best Christmas present ever, 6music!

I really really hope I am not bumped from the schedules now I've told everyone it's happening...

So much to do!

Handmade mobile, a Christmas present for my baby nephew

So you know when you finish work for the holidays, and there's so much you have to do, and you've been putting it off because you know a job badly done is worse than a job done late, and you have a full week with childcare to take care of it all once you finish work, so you don't stress or worry about it too much?  And then you get the flu?

Yes.  This happened to me.  So I've been dragging myself out of bed only to pick up and drop off the baby, my early-ish pre-Christmas organisation came in very handy because at least all the presents and most of the cards were sorted.  But the things I had planned to do like finish off some handmade presents, sort out a pre-Christmas sale in my etsy shop, catch up on the blog (I have so much to show and tell that I've been working on/looking at/admiring out there in the world of handmade!) and think ahead to next year's NEW PRODUCTS (two out of twelve actually finished and made, one photographed, sigh....), have a big sort out of the craft room etc., have all been bumped.  On top of this I've had some SERIOUS problems with the people who were supposed to be at least attempting to sell my flat, and need to spend most of tomorrow sorting out a new estate agent.  I also have a huge event to plan, make stock for and prepare for which is yikes - only really about six weeks away, and I've had the grand sum of ONE conversation about a collaboration I'm doing for a new product especially for this event. 

Gosh, I feel bad even sitting here and typing this when I could be doing something more productive.  Although as you all know, procrastination is my friend and I've already spent the morning putting away laundry, picking up flea treatment at the supermarket for the cats, stacking the dishwasher and ahem, having breakfast and a read of the local paper in McDonalds.

In the spirit of getting things done, here are the main things I want to catch up with you lot about. 

1. Some of the handmade Christmas presents I made - I was in such a flu-fogged panic that I didn't even take a bloomin' photo of one of them before I managed to get it in the post on Monday morning, so I'm hoping the recipient will take one on Christmas morning.
2. The sale I'm planning for the etsy shop, I've decided to clear out a lot of older products to make way for new things.
3. I'm also planning to destash a lot of the designer fabric I have, as well as a few bits and bobs of haberdashery.  As part of this, I will discuss my rule about fabric, to which I have NOT been adhering and the ensuing crisis of conscience that this involves.
4. The zine exhibition in Salford, at which I took one or two sneaky photos of Amelia which may or may not have had my zines in the background, naughty naughty
5. The special event that I am preparing for which I will have to talk about A LOT, and the exciting collaboration I've been working on especially for this event.
6. The new zine I've been planning - I still need to make my spreadsheet of who is writing about what, but as I only really have about 10 or so confirmed volunteers and no submissions yet, please do get in touch if you fancy having a go.  I haven't written anything yet either.
7. Issue 8 of the Answers on a Postcard is so nearly ready to print it isn't funny BUT what is even less funny is that I need to reformat the files for printing which is driving me bananas even without flu-related brain fog.
8. I need to have a 'getting things finished' drive in the New Year.  I have unfinished projects I have been working on since I was pregnant in 2010.  And before.  This is not going to be tolerated in 2012.  If any of you would like to join me in a 'get it finished' challenge I want to see one thing finished by the end of every month.  I want to see before and after photos.  I want to feel your shame and your elation so I know I'm not alone!
9. I want to do better at blogging and keep on top of things next year.  I want to buy a small digital camera that I can fit in my handbag during the January sales to help me do this.  I LOVE my DSLR but boy is it a pain to cart it around.  My old 2007 issue digital camera is pants and will be traded in to help fund this.
10. I want to hit 200 sales in my Etsy shop in 2012.  I also want to be stocked in another couple of outlets either online or b&m as I have had such good experiences with the wonderful Ethics Girls and Vertiline in Love.  I have a couple of ideas for 'exclusive' ranges for shops which fancy taking on some of my work and a couple of shops in mind that I'd love to work with...

So there you are, the edited highlights of my to-do list!   In the meantime I am going to get today done with, sort the flat tomorrow, and then have a lovely 12 days of fun with my family over Christmas and New Year.  I wish you all a lovely peaceful and calm Christmas, and a happy and healthy New Year!

Better late than never - Wednesday wishlist

I'm back on the jewel colours, I can't resist them.  Check out these purples...



While I'm here, I was featured in a treasury celebrating upcycled Christmas decorations, which are all on sale in the UK - leaving my fellow Brits a few more days for last-minute impulse buys.  Thank you www.bakersbitsandbobs.etsy.com for featuring me :)

Baby Booty Sale

I'll be in Glasgow tomorrow for the Baby Booty Sale at Kelvinhall.  I'm sharing a stall with A Home for All Seasons, and while we both have a lot of secondhand, new and unused baby things between us, we'll be there on Saturday in our crafty capacities - with a focus on baby gifts, keepsakes and Christmas gifts for new parents and the young'uns.  Come and find us, and say hello!

More details here, but the sale runs from 11-2pm and is a pretty pretty good idea.  Now to make sure I don't leave with more baby stuff than I arrive with...

Can't make it to Glasgow?  If you're in the UK or Europe, you still have time to buy online at the Girl Industries etsy shop before the recommended last posting dates for Christmas.  But hurry!

Wednesday wishlist - pandamonium!

For those of you don't know, our local zoo recently took delivery of two giant pandas.  The new arrivals go on show on the first day of my Christmas/New Year break from my day job.  I'm so excited to see them, and created a treasury celebrating all things pandhandmade in the UK!



p.s. I have been away for a short while, and pre-occupied with real life stuff but now I'm baaaaack :)

Christmassy makes - from an unusual source

Before I spent so much time commuting, and tired, I wasn't a big magazine reader. Things have changed. I've always been fairly voracious as a reader.  I'm one of those people who doesn't get travel sick if I read, and if you've ever eaten breakfast with me, you'll know I can't resist reading the packet of cereal back to front. I also have an MA in comparative literature, so freebie supermarket magazines are somewhat outside of my usual reading material as a bit of a literary snob (although I've bought the National Enquirer every Friday since October 1999, and had a shameful six-month affair with my then-flatmate's Take a Break collection, so that does go a little bit against the grain of what I've just said...)

However... I really enjoyed looking at the craft projects in the latest freesheet from Tesco, and even had a facepalm moment when the solution to a problem I'd been mulling over for a good 12 months literally stared me in the face. I've been designing a range of mobiles and couldn't decide what to hang the hanging bits from... of course I didn't even consider using the inner part of an embroidery hoop, and I even have a few of them upstairs to choose from!


With the sheer mind-numbing meh that regular commuting and early mornings bring, my attention span is shot. Maybe it's time to revisit and expand my zine collection for something to read when my mind's not all there...

Recommendations for magazines (any subject matter) or zines to read are welcome - hopefully I'll find a whole load of new zines to search out and buy after my trip to the zine exhibition at the Salford Art Gallery and Museum on Friday!

Something caught my eye...

...these handknit napkin rings are popping up in my etsy activity feed all the time, and I think they've graced the UK front page at least once.

My eagle eyes spotted that the yarn used by maker The Feminine Touch is the very same yarn from the blanket I made for Amelia earlier in the year - looks stunning with that shade of turquoise, doesn't it?

Wishlist Wednesday

My wishlist intersects perfectly with my to-do list this week. I need to get to work on my Christmas card list asap, and this festive collection is great inspiration to get started.

New zine project - do you want to be involved?

I know, I know,  I still need to get to the printers with the elusive Issue 8 of Answers on a Postcard BUT great new ideas can't wait!

I’m starting a new writing project and I'm looking for contributors. After my experiences of 'meeting' amazing crafters with Answers on a Postcard, and the fun of producing a monthly black and white booklet so I thought I would quite like to do it again next year, but start looking for contributors now.

The new project is called ‘Three days in...’ and can refer to travels you’ve been on, or talking about your home town, or a place you’ve researched that you’ve always wanted to visit. Basically I’m looking for either an itinerary of things you can’t miss out on if you were going to visit a place for the first (and potentially only time), or a reflective piece on three days you’ve spent somewhere, like a diary entry or essay, or a collection of photos/drawings/illustrations or even scans of ticket stubs and so on from a specific place that when you link the images together, they tell a story and build up an image of the specific place.

Each entry or submission will be categorised into groups represented by a little icon - a suitcase (traveller), house (home town/living there) or an armchair (somewhere you’ve planned a visit to without actually going there yet). I can’t afford to pay anyone for their contributions as I’ll never make any money out of it – they’ll be on sale through my etsy shop to cover production and postage costs and anyone who contributes can have a free PDF version to print off at their leisure.   I'll also be submitting copies to a number of zine libraries I'm in contact with, to spread the word!  You get a byline photo and links to your blog/business next to your name as a promotional opportunity, and of course I'll be on about it all the time on my blog.

I don't have any fixed views on word count etc, especially if people want to add their own photos or scans of ticket stubs etc, but it should all fit into 2-8 sides of A5, ideally.

Have a think about it and get back to me if you fancy getting involved, and have a place in mind.   I'd need a firm commitment by the end of the year so I can keep in contact about your piece during 2012 - I'd like to get this project finished before the end of the world, at least :)  If this isn't for you, but you know someone who would like to contribute to the project, point them this way!

My email address is katy AT girlindustries.com and you can find my previous zine series, Answers on a Postcard, at www.pushpinzines.co.uk or on display in my home town of Salford as part of this exhibition.

Last day of my Crafty Attic feature

A quick reminder that today is your last chance to stock up on Girl Industries goodies for a bargain price over at Crafty Attic.  See my blog post here for more details.  Happy Shopping!

For the stationery lovers

Found via @presentcorrect on Twitter

Hudson - Against The Grain from Dropbear on Vimeo.

Wednesday wishlist

Today it's all about me! You can buy everything you see below with a deep discount via website Crafty Attic. Go and check it out!

Everything in my shop is included - that's gift tags, supplies and zines (the above image is not clickable, as I made a private treasury - I have a feeling that making and publishing treasuries which only feature your own products is probably frowned upon)
You can still buy in time for gift giving and dressing up your Christmas presents. My last posting dates for the UK will be 15 December (due to family commitments, so I'm a little earlier than the published Post Office dates) and for the rest of the world, I'm in line with the Post Office guidelines



Table from the Royal Mail website

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Can't wait to see my zines!

I somehow forgot that aaages ago, I sent some zines off to the Salford Zine Library. This blog post over at Postmodern Pain reminded me, and reminded me that I'll be able to go and visit them in person when I'm visiting my parents at Christmas as the exhibition runs until 29th January. It also caused me to kick myself because the exhibition started on 15th October, which means I could have called in two weeks ago when I was eating at the McDonalds JUST ALONG THE ROAD from the gallery 2 weeks ago, when we stopped off en route from Norfolk to Alloa on the way home from our holidays!

Photo via Postmodern Pain blog

Isn't it bizarre how a photo can instantly jolt you back in time?  The Art Gallery and Museum in Salford has loads of memories for me.  It's the first museum I ever visited, and spent a lot of time there as a pre-schooler.  The reconstructed street, a bit like the one from the Transport Museum in Glasgow (now the Riverside Museum), holds tons of memories, especially the tiny little old-fashioned curly-toed shoes (I'm making a mental note to remember to take photos, you won't believe what you're seeing).  I can't wait to show Amelia, although I do remember what a scary place it could be, the lights dimmed to preserve the exhibits, and the spookiness of the dummies and empty shop doorways. 

via historyextra.com

At one point, my parents nearly bought a home converted from part of the old fire station across the road.  It was so exciting because it was tall and thin and had THREE FLOORS, and we would have had a little bedroom to share at the very top of the house.  It's funny how things turn out, because that almost completely describes our house now!  Except the only thing it's converted from is a loft in an existing house, and it's my craft room up there in place of me and my sister, but there you are.

Photo via Trovit homes - my mum's old office is the window at the top right of the photo!

My mum worked just along the road from the gallery in the former Salford Royal Hospital (now converted into apartments, are you seeing a theme?), I was once in an episode of Coronation Street that was being filmed at the pub next between the hospital and the river, and I got my first ever job at the Sainsbury's just around the corner on Regent Road (opposite Salford Lads' Club), walking past the museum when I jumped off the train at Salford Crescent.

I know my zines are definitely there because I read this.  Can't wait to go and visit them!  A huge thanks as well to all the contributors to the series, it'd be nothing without you :)

Window-shopping Wednesday

I'd be so happy to receive any item on this list, but I particularly love that coin purse.  And the wonderful brooch!  And the bear plate!  And... and... who am I kidding? I love them all.

Come and find me on facebook

I did it, I created a Girl Industries facebook page!  Come and join me!  I am not sure of the next step!  But I'm having fun getting there :)

Jolly red gift tags, now available

I somewhat absent-mindedly relisted a set of gift tags from last year's collection, and was spurred into action when they sold almost immediately!

Inspiration struck when I spied a handful of hanging files on clearance in my local supermarket, and a few quick punches later, I backed them up with offcuts of gorgeous linen paper, and strung through some bakers' twine.   The end result is these beautiful tags.

I even finished a set with embroidery thread just in case of the inevitable bakers' twine backlash (if it's not already here, I'm sure it's on its way). Just let me know when you check out which thread you prefer.

I also had these Christmas tree shapes in stock from a couple of years back and I've decided they really must be used.

Ditto for a set of plain tags that I hadn't found the right project for yet.  Suddenly it all just fell into place.  These particular tags are very limited edition and I only have the one set of four, so don't hesitate if you like the look of them!

How are you preparing for the festive season?

Window shopping Wednesday

Better late than never, here's a very wintry treasury I put together earlier today.  Phew it's been a hectic week, so I deliberately drew on a restful palette to try and slow down a little.

There are some beautiful items in this collection, and how enchanting is that secret door?

Hangtag bag

Photo by Coach NY

 How much do I love this new bag for next season, from Coach?  The answer is: a lot.

Check out the detail:

Photo by Coach NY

Of course if you're looking for hang tag style at a fraction of the price, you can always treat yourself to a set of my photographic gift tags. 

Window shopping Wednesday

I've found that I'm always drawn towards muted colours, greys and browns and soft mossy greens are amongst my favourite.  So when bold, bright treasuries pop up in my activity feed, I find them extra-inspiring, especially this one from GlassPaperScizzors.



With this in mind, I've relisted my Christmassy gift tags, in bold seasonal red.  Because a red hot gift requires a red hot gift tag!

Going on vacation

I'm closing up the shop for a few days as I'm not very well, some virus thing that's doing the rounds.  I'm off on a mini-break at the end of the week so I'm putting all my energy into getting better.  See you in about a week or so.

Stagtacular!

So from wintry, I'm now back to feeling Autumnal after hearing about a fantastic new exhibition in Sheffield, Stagtacular!  If you're in the area, read more about it via Vertiline in Love.  One thing I wish I had a camera handy for was when I saw a stag by the side of the road in December 2009.  I was driving alone, back from Loch Lomond through dense fog to my flat in Glasgow, after a weekend in the countryside with friends.  I was so glad that stag was on the side of the road and not in the middle of it! 

Window shopping Wednesday

This week I've been inspired by actual windows!  The shops in Glasgow are full of jewel tones this season, particularly the inky blue crockery from Hermes on display in Frasers and the deep purple bags in the window at Mulberry.  Here's the take on this season's hottest colours from Etsians (mostly) in the UK.

Basketweave blanket update

I finally managed to get some half-decent photos of the blanket I made recently for Amelia's cot, now the nights are getting a little colder.

Basketweave is one of my favourite patterns for knitting, and it's so easy and quick to knit up into a repeating pattern that is striking in its simplicity.  I particularly liked knitting with this yarn, Sirdar Denim Ultra.  It is quite 'splitty' to knit with, so you need your wits about you, but the shade of brown I used was made up of about 10 strands comprising cream, dark chocolate and milky coffee colours which worked so well together.

To come up with the pattern, I simply measured up the size of Amelia's cot (well, looked it up on the IKEA website, because I do most of my knitting while she's asleep in said cot!) and checked out the ball band.  Denim ultra knits to 9 stitches & 12 rows to 10x10cm on 10mm needles.  I don't have 10mm needles, so I knitted it up with 10 stitches to 12 rows on 9mms and tried to keep my knitting on the loose side. 

I wanted my blanket to have 10mm "squares", so I cast on 70 stitches, k10 and p10 (repeat) until I'd knit 12 rows.  Then I swapped to p10, k10 to create the woven effect.  120 rows gave me a blanket that was 70cm x 100cm and fitted the cot a treat.  It took just over 4 balls of the yarn.  If I had more of this yarn, I might have knit up several more panels to make a larger throw for an adult sized bed.  It also makes a great textured cushion cover, just measure up how much you'd need to form an envelope around a cushion pad, and get knitting!

As it is, I'm keeping an eye on eBay as there are some great bargains to be had at the end of the season, and a blue denim version would be just the thing for my nephew's bed.

Treating myself

While you're reading this, I'll be in Glasgow collecting my brand new lovely sewing machine from local craft supplies emporium deluxe, The Life Craft, in its new premises at De Courcey's arcade.

While we're talking sewing, here's my first-ever attempt at patchwork from a couple of weekends ago, a cover for my old machine as its original plastic cover was seriously falling apart.  In an ironic development, my husband was so impressed by what I'd made, he has decided that the time has come to upgrade to a far better machine and we're calling it an early Christmas present - hurrah!

If you're interested in making such a cover, here's how I made it.  I loosely measured the width, height and depth of the machine and calculated how many 10cm squares I would need to cover the surface area.  I sewed them together in strips and made a cross-shape piece of patchwork with the strips, which I then lined with plain navy blue fabric, after closing up the strips to fit around the machine in a kind of paper-bag effect.  I checked the size by holding it against the machine as I went (I am not the scientific type), and it worked out kind of okay.  I think if I make another one, I'll be more disciplined about measuring and trimming and squaring up my work as I go, but I was so excited to see how it would look that I kind of rushed the sensible aspect of my work.

I'm sure there'll be more patchwork to come - in fact I posted up a photo on my personal facebook page and had some interest in commissions from friends - so stand by for more photos of my patch-themed handiwork here.

Window shopping Wednesday

Oh I can't wait for Hallowe'en this year!  I'll be enjoying the last day of my holiday in England, kicking up some leaves and trying to take as many photographs as I can - because Marceline has proposed it as the next Day in the Life bloggers date.



In the meantime, to help you get into the mood, too, here's a collection of some lovely spooky things from Etsy for this week's round up of my virtual shopping list... but what to choose?

If you fancy winning something spooky, hop back over to the Asking for Trouble blog and try to get your mitts on a little handmade ghost before the contest closes on 14 October.

My kind of office

Ahhh, I dream of days when I might work in a cosy little corner like this:

Photo credit to The Window Shopper and finding credit to friend of Answers on a Postcard, jeweller extraordinaire, Laura Baillie.  I hadn't caught up with Laura's blog in ages and was really excited to hear that she is having a pre-Christmas sale event at her beautiful home, on 12 November.  For more details, check out her blog.  If you can't get to Scotland, but still admire Laura's work, find her on facebook for giveaways, special deals and great competitions.

Window Shopping Wednesday

I was thinking the other day that I should really sort out my music collection, there are some records I haven't heard in ages and would really like to dig them out again.  Our CDs are all up in my husband's parents' loft, this was meant to be a temporary measure as we moved, but then our iTunes account imploded somehow, so we need to re-download them all. 



As most readers will know, we really have our hands full at the moment with two full time jobs, two homes, three businesses, one child and two cats to juggle, so digging out my 2000+ CDs is not a priority right now.  Yes, I have a lot of CDs.  In my defence, I used to be a music journalist and music was a big part of my life.  Fifteen years ago if I wasn't reading a book, writing notes and and listening to a CD all at the same time, I was probably asleep.  With the radio still on.  Instead, I am relying on 6music and of course my own wonderful (!!) singing voice to keep us going.  This recent treasury was inspired by the last song on Bjork's album Debut. 

I am still a little bit on edge when I see people making art with altered book pages (oh my gosh you can't write on a book!) but I am trying to relax about it a little bit.  This treasury marks an important step in my recovery, and I hope you enjoy it.

Window Shopping Wednesday

Well, the nights are fair drawing in and lately I've found myself browsing etsy for (I know, I know) Christmas presents.  I've decided to share some of my finds here on the blog with a series of Window Shopping Wednesdays where I can combine my love of making treasuries with bringing you some great makers and must-have items.  I'm trying my best to keep it handmade this Christmas, and hope you can, too. Here are a couple of treasuries made to celebrate one of my absolute favourite things... kraft paper!

Frrrrront page!

I nearly fell off my seat there while I popped on to Etsy after finishing off my lunch.  One of my treasuries made it to the UK front page!  There are some lovely lovely things on the list that would make fantastic gifts to yourself or your friends/family.  I am coveting just about everything there so you know, bookmark it ;-)

Are you a VIP?

Today sees the start of my feature over on Crafty Attic, a new discount site where you can buy art, craft and supplies at a one-time-only reduced rate.  VIPs can have early access to deals, and get an extra discount for only $4.99 a month.  Non-VIPs get access to deals a day later, and still get a great discount.  Shipping is included in the voucher price, so it's a great way to make buying handmade cost-effective, and to discover new-to-you artists, designers and makers.


Crafty Attic is brand-new, only 9 days old, so I'm delighted to have been chosen as one of the very first people to be featured.  You can sign up for daily deal emails, or link with Crafty Attic via facebook if you don't want to hear from them in your inbox every single day.  Unlike other daily discount sites, you don't actually have to sign in to view the deals, ideal if you're in a hurry and just want to check out who's on offer today.

Hope to see you over there!

Being a completer

This weekend I am trying my best to get things done!  Right now, having taken some really good photos on Friday afternoon, I am listing supplies in the Girl Industries Etsy shop that need to vacate the premises.  I have realised there is a finite amount of time for crafting in my life at the moment, and there are some things I'll just never get around to using.  So my loss is your gain, I am passing them on at far less than I originally paid for them because I need them to GO AWAY and be purposeful or beautiful elsewhere. 

I also started AND finished a project all in one go on Friday night.  I even made a mercy dash to deliver it because it was a dark and stormy night, so the photos aren't brilliant, because they were shot in my living room, in the dark.  A friend asked me to design and make a draught excluder for her wider than average double farmhouse doors.  As they are of the many and varied pet-keeping persuasion, I decided to celebrate their reptile collection with what has been dubbed 'the tartan python' - made from offcuts of kilt fabric direct from a tailors in Glasgow.

If you'd like your own home protected from draughts (the tartan python also masquerades as Justin Windowsnake), do please leave a comment or drop me an email.  Available as the completed product with local delivery, or as a snake skin, with a Velcro (R) fastening or closed seam, self-stitch end, and full instructions for you to stuff it yourself.  Stay warm this winter!

I haven't finished the big basket weave blanket I was making the other week, I was actually giving myself RSI the heavier it got but I am soldiering on and there are only 20 rows to go until it is finished.  Hopefully I'll have photos very very soon.  It is shaping up beautifully, and everywhere I look at the moment are big beautiful knits.  I'm looking at you, Stella McCartney.  Nothing but the highest of fashion for my little girl.

Oooh, and my team won, so, go Trojans!  The final is in London next weekend, how exciting!

Low stock alert

I'm down to my last reel of white paper string and there is very limited stock of lavender cats available - and hardly any of the same fabric left.  If you've had your eye on any of these things for a while, stock up now while they are still available.  When they're gone, they're gone.

Thank you to etsy seller Cherry Hill Jewelry for featuring my lavender cats in her latest treasury.  Click here for more lovely lavender finds.

They're all here!

At last, you can find an updated selection of the Answers on a Postcard series in my Etsy shop. If you'd like to catch up with more than one at once, you can buy yourself a Girl Industries instant zine collection.

Issue 8 is conspicuous in its absence for the time being, I still need to get myself down to the printers to pick up some copies, all in colour!

More exciting zine-related news to come very soon!

Little Birds Market, this coming Sunday!

You'll find me upstairs at Sloan's on Sunday for the next Little Birds Market - look! There are my hand-stitched cards in the flyer!

If you can't make it on Sunday (come in through the entrance in Argyle Arcade, you'll find me there from 12-5pm), you can always pick up a set of cards from my Etsy shop.

Ooh, have a look at Cuteable!  My cards were featured there yesterday as well.

Last minute top speed knitting

I really shouldn't be taking the time to blog tonight as I'm on a mission. My friend plays for the West Coast Trojans, an American Football team, and we are hoping to go to their match tomorrow afternoon (Scotstoun, 2.30pm, if anyone's interested!) but I have a horrible feeling it'll be cold.

So after finding some very reasonably priced Sirdar Denim yesterday on a jaunt to Hobbycraft, I thought I could get cracking on a big bulky warm blanket for the little one. I was inspired in part by flicking through the new White Company catalogue last week, as we were ordering new towels in the sale. I noted that the White Company handknit their big blankets in blocks - I thought about potentially buying extra wool to make up additional panels so we can use the blanket in future on A's big girl bed when the time comes, but then realised I need a huge amount of chunky wool sitting around like I need a hole in the head!

Anyhoo, here I am knitting up 8-ply yarn in a lovely blend of browns and white, in a huge basketweave pattern. I feel all zeitgeisty now as this lovely cushion just popped up on Etsy's front page. It's by Laurimuks, who is a fellow knitter right here in Scotland, her work is just lovely.

I'll be back shortly with the pattern for the blanket (my very own!) and some photos. I hope you are all having a lovely evening, and weekend :)

Upcycling hits the mainstream

A cardboard hopper of Johnson's baby wipes caught my eye as I rushed out of my local Asda the other day - the magic word 'upcycling' caught my eye! Find out more on packagingnews.co.uk (oh yes!) and find out how they are reusing their packets before they hit the rubbish bin.

Ella's Kitchen and Kenco coffee are also running similar schemes, which involve consumers returning the packaging to the manufacturer after use. Of course this involves expense and further resources, and that's before you get started on the remanufacturing process. I would love if these companies could look more closely into biodegradable or compostable packaging (like our preferred tea bag brand, it's great to throw the empty packaging onto the compost heap when we're finished with it). There are only so many wipe clean reusable shoppers that you can get through in a lifetime, and if the brand is plastered all over it, then it's not really for me. But it's a step in the right direction, and it just goes to show, there are so many more things out there that you can get an extra use out of before it hits the rubbish bin.